T-Squared Social: Is It On Par?

Now more than ever, there is a lot to be said for preserving the arts, and independent cinema is no exception.

That’s why it is important that T-Squared Social has overtaken the New Picture House. I’ve investigated how St Andrews residents are responding to the new cinema, as well as T-Squared Social itself, and its wider implications for local culture.

The infamous and incongruently styled T-Squared Social, lovechild of Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods, recently opened in St Andrews despite lukewarm anticipation. I’m not sure many St Andrews residents look around and think, ‘what this place needs is another space catering towards golfers’. Nevertheless, T-Squared Social chose to expand its franchise in October 2025, with its other location in New York City – in Times Square, no less. This makes for rather different (and more appropriate) surroundings compared to St Andrews’ 15th century cobbled streets. Any argument that T-Squared is for St Andrews’ golf community in specific is squashed by the fact that it is actually a chain. Whether it blends into our town is a topic of well-deserved controversy.

Exterior of T-Squared Social NYC, via Instagram @tsquared.social.ny

Part of the controversy comes from the fact T-Squared Social replaced the beloved New Picture House, an independent cinema. However, beyond just mysteriously retaining its sign, T-Squared Social has kept one of the cinema rooms. This room offers a selection of recently released films (with somewhat sparse availability) like Hamnet and Marty Supreme. I spoke to Fynn Thomson, a 2nd year student at St Andrews, about her experience watching a film at T-Squared Social. While she said she would be willing to go again, Fynn told me that during the film, ‘the emergency lights had been triggered and so the lights were on the whole time, and they didn’t come in and explain that’ – she was only told this when she left and complained. Fynn added it was ‘annoying and not handled very well’, and that ‘it doesn’t feel like they have put a lot of effort into making the cinema experience particularly good.’ Arguably, the sports bar retaining one cinema screen as an attempt at easy appeasement is not enough.

Likewise, 4th year Olivia Schlamp said that T-Squared Social (in her experience of the venue both as a bar and a cinema) ‘has a reputation, and the reputation is right,’ saying the bar attracts mostly an ‘older, kind of rich demographic’ which its predecessor did not. Inversely, she felt the New Picture House had an energy that was ‘younger and more local’. Like Fynn’s, Olivia’s experience of the film was worsened by the setting itself – she said, ‘the soundproofing was really bad, you could hear everything going on at the sports bar,’ which detracted from the quieter, emotional points in the Springsteen movie she watched.

However, Olivia did point out that her neighbour, a St. Andrews resident in his 60s, seems to believe that T-Squared Social is ‘one of the few places that doesn’t feel infiltrated by students’ compared to other local pubs and bars – anyone who has attended Aikman’s or The Central can hardly argue with this logic. It seems that T-Squared Social could provide a space where residents can go and bask in sports and beer without having to face hordes of students swarming in for post-lecture pints.

Advertisement via Instagram @tsquared.social.sta

But beyond just being a new place to drink, T-Squared Social replacing the New Picture House represents how our town is changing. Historically, St. Andrews’ culture has been kept alive by its local businesses, and this is also true of our arts culture. For example, The Byre Theatre highlights local theatre and smaller films.

Avery Tirva, 3rd year Economics and Film student, gave a glowing review of the yearly film festival, saying it highlights our town as ‘a culture and arts hub, rather than just a place to play golf or study.’ Unlike T-Squared Social, it exists as a beacon of community-oriented hope, supporting our independent arts culture even as commercialisation is on the rise. If this appeals to you, keep an eye out for The Byre Theatre film festival in April or other local events like the current Wardlaw Museum exhibit, ‘From These Parts: Scotland, Art and Identity.’ Nonetheless, if T-Squared is the place for you, upcoming events include viewings of Six Nations games and brand new movies including The Housemaid and Wuthering Heights.